Tag: tracker daw

Hope everyone is doing well. So glad to be able to share this post with everyone, as I feel it is VERY important for those suffering from the indecisiveness trap of, “WHICH DAW IS FOR ME?”

I think just about every music producer out there has had a time when they were trying to figure out which DAW is right for them. What a freaking dilemma! In fact, if you look across the net; you’ll find a large # of forums analyzing this exact same topic. Many of these forums will conclude that you have to choose the DAW that is most intuitive to you. The one that gives you that sense of excitement every-time you dive in to start a new project. And brings you the most pleasure as you sit down and let your imagination soar during studio sessions. But more importantly, some DAW’s that are recommended to us can be WAY too expensive which leads to….yup you guessed it….PIRACY.

Team Air – Cracking software like eggs since the 90’s…. 😀

I mean…who the hell hasn’t downloaded a DAW from a torrent site in the past because they couldn’t afford a clean version? I’m guilty and I’ll be the first to admit. When I was 14 years old I taught myself how to produce music after downloading a pirated version of Fl Studio. Now, although it was the incorrect action to take, after giving the software a good test run with many projects, I persuaded my parents to invest in the full version of the software for my 15th birthday. Which ultimately, made me appreciate the software even more. Since then I’ve enjoyed the ups and downs of Fl Studio through the many updates over the years.

Fl Studio – My Humble Beginnings…

Now let’s take a quick glimpse at the cost of the more ‘expensive’ DAW’s. It’s no wonder why such things like Piracy exist!Sadly… (not that that excuses it)

Now of course, you should demo the software you are interested in buying and it is strictly recommended that you purchase the full version of the software afterwards. Even it it means saving up some extra cash, or selling items you don’t need. This ensures ongoing support for the companies with future development, maintenance, server costs, etc. And plus, once you start pushing out your successful productions to the public you’ll also feel more appreciative of your investment. So please, try and then buy…

Now we’re about to get to the juicy part of this post.

“The top 5 CHEAPEST, HQ,underrated DAWS! *Hidden Gems*

Many of you are probably wondering why I’m even mentioning this. Well it’s mainly because I feel like many producers have a tendency to draw themselves towards DAW’s that they see their favorite producers using. And then you run into factors such as, the DAW being too EXPENSIVE, or it being too COMPLICATED/COMPLEX, or it being too CPU HUNGRY, etc…etc…. But what if I told you that there exists some great, durable DAW’s out their, with high quality sound engines, extremely intuitive ease of use, for a FRACTION of the cost compared to their “arm & a leg” predecessors? Here is a list of the most underrated DAW’s that no one tells you about.

MuTools MuLab is an amazing, underrated DAW you guys. It really is. It’s a hidden gem if I do say so myself. I was recommended to this DAW by a friend of mine who also produces electronic music like I do. I gave it a go, and discovered that this DAW is extremely superior in audio quality when it comes to mastering or working with audio bits. It’s a little weak on the Midi side of things, but recent updates has kept my loyalty. This DAW has proven itself to be one of the most promising DAWS out there. And it just get’s better and better.
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Release Date- 2005
Price- $60/60€ (REAPER is distributed under two licenses as well as a 60-day evaluation trial option)
Key Features-Notation editor, VST3 support, built in script debugger with macro support, video editing, FX automation.
OS Compatibility- Windows and MAC OSX
Extras- Supports 3rd party skins. Something that makes this DAW entirely unique apart from most of the rest.

Man do I LOVE Cuckos REAPER v5.23. I like to refer to this DAW as the little brother of Pro Tools because to many, it favors it. However, this DAW costs a fraction of the price of Pro Tools and is a POWERHOUSE DAW that includes everything your heart desires for your production needs. I personally like to use Reaper for final mastering and tweaking once I’ve exported the .WAV of my finalized track. One of the most unique and special things about Reaper, is it’s support for 3rd party skins. Believe me, there are DATABASES online with skins that you can download and load into this DAW, you just have to find them. How cool is it to produce music in a DAW with a completely different theme than the default theme it came pre-installed with right???

Many of you have already heard of Tracker DAW’s, many have not. For those who haven’t, a Tracker DAW basically represents music tracks as an arrangement from a vertical perspective. They were VERY popular in the 90’s and early 2000’s, and have lost popularity since the last decade. Buzz was one of the earliest, most successful Tracker DAW’s to ever hit the masses and is still being widely used today. In addition, Tracker DAW’s also provide a much more faster work-flow compared to a traditional horizontal arrangement DAW. You can very quickly key in notes, which triggers your bit of audio based on where on the grid you enter your command. This is why Renoise is probably the most interesting DAW out there to date. First off, the interface looks very complex and will have you looking like a rocket scientist during music sessions. I remember downloading the demo for Renoise many years back and I just did a blank stare at my monitor LOL. Most times you can download a new DAW and quickly figure things out because of your knowledge with other DAW’s. But with Reaper, you’ll be scratching your head. The challenge with this DAW makes it much more exciting and rewarding than the others. Check it out!!
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The good ole’ Zynewave Podium. The most interesting thing about this particular DAW is the fact that it was developed and is still continuously managed by a ONE-man army, Frits Nielsen. The thing I like most about Zynewave Podium is that is is EXTREMELY easy on the CPU. In fact, this could be the most smooth and fluid running DAW to ever exist. I remember downloading the Podium Free version and I was amazed out how clean and smooth the interface performed. From the time tracker line, to the moving of audio/midi clips, everything is just so damn smooth in this software; it’s crazy. Working with this software is like a “breath of fresh air” from all the bugs and annoyances we’ve all dealt with with various other DAW’s. The Midi in this DAW is also TOP-NOTCH. Not to mention it has a very polished finish on the design. This is probably my personal favorite of the list.

N- Track Studio is a high quality DAW that reminds me alot of Prenous Studio One. It’s packed with many great features and you can tell that N-Track has made it a mission to set itself apart from the rest. The fact that it’s cross-platform and can be used on any PC or mobile device, gives it the cake over many other DAW’s. This is actually something that I hope to see other DAW’s moving forward. N-Track studio is a very ‘pretty’ and ‘polished’ DAW and I love the HQ integrated plugins that it comes with. I can definitely see a very bright future with N-Track ahead. Even to the point of mainstream notoriety.

And there you have it! The 5 hidden gems of the DAW world. I hope you enjoyed this post and found it informative and if you have any questions, as always there are many ways to reach me. Via this blog, Youtube, email, fan page, etc. which I will link below. Thankyou so much for your time and be on the lookout for my next post!